Easter with Family
by dustytiger
Summary: The team spends Easter morning together, fuzzy moments ensue. Challenge response for CCOAC. Stand alone.


Title: Easter with Family  
Author: Trista Groulx aka dustytiger  
Rating: K+  
Disclaimer: I still don't own Criminal Minds, alas, it belong to its network, creator, writers, actors and actresses who bring it to life each week. Also I'm still poor just sayin'.  
Summary: The team spends Easter morning together, fuzzy moments ensue.  
Author's notes: This is a response to the abandoned prompts challenge on Chit Chat on Author's Corner my prompt was; "Emily/Derek; Ducklings, flowers, and an Easter egg hunt." I didn't write this as a romantic pairing between Prentiss/Morgan I can see them together but I'm working on a Prentiss/Reid longfic and my muse is stuck on them at the moment. I hope you enjoy it.

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Emily Prentiss was sitting on the sun porch at Jennifer Jareau's sipping her coffee as she watched Henry Lamontange and Jack Hotchner looking through the yard looking for Easter eggs. Every year JJ would have an Easter egg hunt at her home, she said her parents had done the same thing when she was growing up and she wanted her son to have that. She had invited the rest of the team for Easter breakfast. She was having a lot of fun, but watching the kids with their parents made her start to wonder if she should have tried harder to become a mother. Penelope Garcia and Spencer Reid were also helping the kids to find the hidden treats, and even David Rossi had gotten into the spirit of things and was helping Jack since both Reid and Garica were helping their godson.

"Emily what's up with you this year?" Derek Morgan asked, sitting down and pouring himself a cup of coffee from the carafe on the table.

She shrugged. "It's nothing," she tried to assure him.

"Don't lie to me," he told her.

"I've just been thinking a lot about the choices I've made since I've been home."

"About not having any kids?" he asked her.

Her attention was again drawn to the yard where the kids were. She watched Reid as he ran around like he was a child too. She knew that once they were done with the Easter egg hunt Reid would start showing the boys magic tricks, which always enthralled them. She couldn't help but wonder what Reid might be like as a father. He had a child-like air about him that she thought might make him a good parent, even though he had told her many times he would be worried about fathering a child due to his mother's illness.

"Yeah," she replied. "Watching Henry and Jack always makes me wonder if I would have been a good mother."

"It's not too late Emily," Morgan reminded her.

"I guess not," she sighed.

"What are you not telling me?"

She shrugged. "Nothing."

"A baby doesn't need your genes to be yours," he reminded her.

"I know but I want to feel our baby growing inside of me. I guess when we started dating I just thought that we might have little genius babies at some point, but he says he wouldn't make a good parent. Look at him with Henry and Jack, how can he possibly believe that?"

"Emily you know better than anyone about how he had to grow up. It's natural for him to be nervous."

"I know it was hard for him, and he hardly got a childhood but I think that's what will make him so good with his own kids. He'd do everything to ensure that his child would get everything he missed out on getting growing up."

"Nothing is ever that easy with Reid."

She nodded. "I know."

She was still watching the egg hunt which seemed to be over and knew they would have to change the subject. She was glad she was able to talk to Morgan about what she was feeling, and she also knew that Morgan would try to help since he and Reid were so close. The kids came running over to the table to show off their findings to the two people who had not participated in the game. As everyone was talking Will called his son away for a moment.

The little boy came back onto the patio a few minutes later holding flowers in his little hands. He went to his mother first and gave her a large bouquet of colourful tulips.

"Happy Easter Mommy!" he told her putting the flowers in her hands.

"Thank you sweetheart, they're beautiful." She told him giving him a hug.

He giggled excitedly and went back to his father who then gave him two more, smaller bouquets. He gave the first one to Garcia who gave him a huge hug, then he went to Prentiss giving her the second bouquet. She smiled her heart-warming feeling like she was a part of the family. She didn't have many traditions growing up but she thought this was a nice one.

"I'm so happy Henry is old 'nough to do this," Will drawled standing next JJ. "My daddy used to have me do this for my Mama an' Aunties at Easter. I thought now that the little guy is outta that puttin' e'verthin' in 'is mouth stage it be a good year to start."

"I think that's a great tradition," JJ told her husband pulling him into a quasi hug.

"Good." He kissed her temple.

Everyone talked about their Easter traditions as they refilled their coffee cups, and the kids ran around the yard from their chocolate induced sugar highs. As they spoke JJ and Will curled up closer to each other. Hotch had even let his guard down with Beth and twinned his hand in hers. Since Prentiss and Reid had been dating he'd become more comfortable showing affection around his friends. Reid's hand was placed dangerously high up her leg casually swirling his thumb as they spoke.

"What about you Spencer?" Prentiss asked him. "What's your fondest memory of Easter growing up?"

He shrugged. "We didn't celebrate Easter. My mother didn't like a holiday which was meant the remember a great sacrifice in the Christian religion had been turned into chocolate fueled sugar high with an egg gifting rabbit as a mascot."

"You're kidding right?" Morgan asked.

"No. I honestly didn't understand it either until JJ first invited me to join her for Easter. I always thought the idea of the Easter bunny was bizarre. Rabbits are mammals they give birth to live young they don't lay eggs."

Prentiss laughed. "The Easter Bunny is magic, or at least that's what my parents told me. They bought me a bunny one year for Easter and I still remember how mad I was that he didn't lay eggs, and yes, Reid, I know that males don't lay eggs either, I was five and unlike you I didn't already know that the female gives birth."

"You're lucky you got a rabbit Emily at least those make decent pets. My father bought me a duckling one year," Morgan told everyone.

"A duckling?" JJ asked. "Will do not get any ideas!" She warned her husband playfully.

Morgan couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, a real live duckling, it wasn't a good idea. I didn't keep it long though. Since my mom hated birds she decided it would be better off in a new home. I still remember that she took me to a local bird sanctuary and told me we could visit any time I wanted."

"Did you know in some states they dye chicks at Easter so parents will want to give one to their kids?" Prentiss asked.

"A chick can actually be a practical gift because in some cities you are allowed to keep one in your yard, and it if it's female you can get fresh eggs," Reid explained excitedly.

"Don't encourage this, Spence," JJ warned her friend.

"You don't live in a place where you could have a chicken as a pet, so you don't have to worry about it."

Henry came over to his parents complaining that he was hungry again, and everyone realised how late in the day it was getting. JJ went inside and brought out a sandwich and vegetable tray. Jack came over to the table a few minutes later and before long everyone was enjoying their light lunch as well as the company, glad JJ had opened her home to them for the holiday.

The End

Notes: I hope you enjoyed it. Sorry it took so long but writing something else at the moment so this was kind of put on the back burner. If you like it let me know. Hugz –trista


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